For workshops running many different parts in small batches, programming time — not welding time — is the real cost of automation. The collaborative cell is taught by hand: the operator guides the torch along the joint, sets the process from the pendant, and the program is stored for the next batch.
Realistic expectations
A collaborative robot welds more slowly than a fenced industrial cell, but changeover between parts takes minutes rather than the better part of an hour. That is what makes small batch sizes economical.
Thin material
Much of this work is thin sheet, where controlling heat and distortion matters more than raw speed. The cell is commissioned with welding programs suited to exactly that kind of work.
| Cobot payload | 12 kg |
|---|---|
| Cobot reach | 1 300 mm |
| Pose repeatability | ±0.10 mm |
| Teaching method | Hand guiding with weld-point capture |
| Typical changeover | 9 min |
| Bench work area | 1 500 × 800 mm |
| Bench payload | 300 kg |
| Welding process | GMAW / pulsed GMAW |
| Power source | 320 A at 60 % duty cycle |
| Supply | 400 V, 3 ph, 50/60 Hz, 20 A |
